Green Initiative Articles

July 2009

July 5 - GREEN DEBATE IN CONGRESS
As Congress debates the "American Clean Energy and Security Act" addressing national energy conservation/greenhouse gas issues, the U.S. Conference of Catholic of Catholic Bishops are weighing in on behalf of the needs of the poor and vulnerable: "Poor people should not bear an undue burden of the impacts of climate change or the global adjustments needed to address it." At the same time, Catholic Relief Services is working  to help poor communities adapt to the consequences of climate change and mitigate its effects through health, agriculture, water and emergency preparedness programs. For the full story, visit [ http://www.usccb.org/globalpoverty ]www.usccb.org/globalpoverty and click the action alert: "Poor people contribute least to the causes, but will suffer the most from effects of climate change."
-CRS/USCCB Catholics Confront Global Poverty, Res Environmental Stewardship Committee

July 12 - HOW TO SAVE 181,000 TREES
Pay your bills online! A study by PayItGreen Alliance shows that switching from paper to electronic bills helps the environment. The average American household receives 19 bills/financial statements in the mail every months and makes seven payments by paper. If only two percent of those households made the switch to e-payments, more than 15 million pounds of paper would be saved preserving more than 181,000 trees. Click on payitgreen.org for more info. Res parishioners, be part of that two percent and e-pay bills starting this week. It's easy AND it saves on postage too!
-USA Weekend, July 3-5 2009, Vicki Kriz and Res Green Team

July 19 - BOTTLED WATER IS ALL WET            
Excerpts from July 11, 2009 Des Moines Register editorial:
At anywhere from $ .89 to $ 8.26 a gallon . . . [bottled water] doesn't make much sense even in a good economy. Loading heavy water bottles onto gas-guzzling trucks and transporting them across the country isn't good for the environment. Neither is the fact that the vast majority of the bottles end up in landfills rather than recycling bins. And bottled water isn't any safer or cleaner or healthier than what comes out of the spout in your kitchen."
The Green Team suggests that Res parishioners give up purchased water bottles and drink some of the best water in the nation right out of your Dubuque tap. Get yourself a trusty reusable water bottle and drink up. (Safest: Look for recycling symbol #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE, #5 PP)
www. trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/29/plastic_water_bottles, www.DesMoinesRegister.com/Opinion

July 26 - TOP TEN PLANS for a GREEN FESTIVAL
10.       Water station and sale of reusable water bottles:  Youth Group table.
9.         Fair Trade Coffee for purchase: Social Justice Committee table.
8.         Dinners served on compostable dinnerware. All food scraps composted.
7.         Recycling Units to capture plastic bottles & cans:  DMASWA and Boy Scouts
6.         Green T-shirted volunteers from Green Team in dining room and on grounds.
5.         Basket of sustainable products at silent auction: Social Justice Committee
4.         All dining room beverages in compostable cups: Dining Room crew
3.         Signage to welcome all to our Parish Festival "Going Green:" Welu Printing
2.         Stewardship and earthcare, saving our landfill: Compost used in Dubuque gardens.
1.         Litter control for a clean green festival:  Everyone!